Page 95 of The Price of Love

“Exactly!” Halo’s head bobs up and down. “The club is at a crossroads. For the last two years, Aces drove us toward it at a breakneck speed.”

“That doesn’t mean she was trying to build her legacy.” There’s an edge in Storm’s voice. “Suppose she thought it was time we moved up to the next level—go big-time?”

Halo nods. “And that’s the other possibility. She might’ve thought the Thorns needed to evolve.”

“But what do you think?” I ask, knowing she’s not saying everything on her mind.

She glances at Storm as if looking for permission to speak freely.

“Say it,” Storm says, though her tone doesn’t convey she means it.

Halo takes the opportunity anyway. “Regardless of the reason, I think it was reckless.”

Storm frowns, and I can feel her anger simmering under the surface. “So now you’re saying Aces was reckless?”

“For fuck’s sake, Storm. Do you want Halo to be honest or blow smoke up your ass?” Storm wanted me here, so I’m gonna do my job.

Storm’s eyes lock on mine. The intensity of her gaze bores into me, but I don’t look away. She might intimidate others, but it’s never worked on me. She knows it, but true to her nature, she’s gotta try.

Storm looks down at the papers on her desk. “Fine. Let’s assume that’s true. What does that mean for our businesses?”

“Um, do you want my honest assessment?” Halo asks.

Storm looks up and lets out a heavy sigh. “Dimples already established that I want honesty, so just give it to me straight. You don’t need to ask again.”

“I’m worried.” Halo studies her spreadsheet as she talks, though I think it’s to give her something to do. “I was worried with Aces, but I’m even more worried now. I thought the reason Aces pursued the Black Lantern development was so we could go straight. Get away from some of the riskier shit and still do right by Cinder Ridge.”

Storm nods. “But it seemed like for a while she practically forgot about Black Lantern. I never understood why.”

“I gotta tell you something,” Halo says. “Six months before Aces got sick, I told her I was thinking about giving up my patch.”

My eyes widen. It wasn’t what I expected, and judging by Storm’s expression, this is new information to her, too. Halo has served the Thorns for nearly twenty years.

“I’m a nurse. I can’t afford to lose my license.” Halo slaps her hand down on the spreadsheet. “Even if I could afford it, I don’t want to. And the deeper we go into this, the more we expand our operations, the riskier it gets. I believed in what Aces was doing before. The money went to good use, but I never signed up to put the riches into the club’s pockets.”

“But that’s where we’re headed. Where Frost is pushing us,” Storm says.

“Yeah.” Halo’s eyes harden. “But it didn’t start with Frost. Aces started it, and Frost is just exploiting it.”

“I think it all got away from her,” Storm mutters. “I don’t think it was about her legacy. It must’ve been her misguided attempt to take care of the girls since we were already taking care of the community.”

I look at her with surprise. We’d all seen the way Aces was pushing the club, but Storm never said anything. Storm always placed Aces on the highest pedestal, and admitting this must be painful. I meet her gaze and try to convey that I’ve got her.

“Perhaps money was the only way she saw to do it,” I say.

“Aces came from nothing,” Storm says. “She watched Cinder Ridge go from a booming paper mill town to what it is today, struggling to survive.”

“We’ll probably never know her motive,” Halo says. “But there are other ways to do it.” She puts her finger on her spreadsheet. “Black Briar is employing eight girls and turning a great profit. I see more room for growth. And Black Lantern was supposed to be our future, but the newer recruits think wearing the patch is about the money, not their contribution.”

“Yeah,” I say. “We saw that with Casino Night.”

“Uh-huh,” Halo says. “Some think the club should support them and their families without them lifting a finger.”

“Fuck, that’s dangerous,” I say. In most clubs, the members support the club, not the other way around. With our business success, we haven’t had to pay dues for years.

“You said you thought about patching out,” Storm says. “What are you thinking now?”

Good for Storm. I wasn’t expecting her to cut to the chase, but I’m glad she did.